The funding will allow researchers to study how the availability, acceptability and marketing of alcohol affects young people's health, and develop modern strategies to reduce harm.
UNSW Associate Professor Amy Peacock has been awarded $1.99 million in the latest round of Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grants to investigate why young Australians misuse alcohol - and to develop new solutions to address the problem.
A/Prof. Peacock, who is Deputy Director of UNSW's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), will work with 1000 teenagers to understand their experiences with alcohol. She and her team will study alcohol's impact on young people's physical and mental health and the effectiveness of current approaches to minimising its harmful effects.
"Alcohol use is a leading cause of youth mortality and morbidity in Australia, however, current policies, programs and practices to prevent and reduce harm have not kept pace with changes in how young people experience today's alcohol landscape," A/Prof. Peacock said.
"Compared to previous generations, young people can obtain alcohol in different ways and are experiencing new and changed influences on its use.
"Availability has expanded through rapid online delivery and sales. Digital marketing is targeting young people with new products such as hard seltzers and zero-alcohol drinks. We want to find out how this is affecting this group's health and wellbeing."
The study will be co-designed with young people, government, health and youth organisations to create evidence-based, community-informed harm minimisation strategies.
To be effective, harm minimisation must be tailored to the current experiences and needs of young people.
"To be effective, harm minimisation must be tailored to the current experiences and needs of young people. Our research will increase awareness of contemporary alcohol-related risks, inform policy and prevention efforts, and ultimately reduce alcohol-related harm," A/Prof. Peacock said.
UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise Professor Bronwyn Fox congratulated the successful team of UNSW researchers.
"We're extremely proud of Amy and her team for securing this significant MRFF grant. It's essential that our laws, policies and programs reflect the realities young people face today when it comes to alcohol use. Through the work of these talented and passionate researchers, UNSW is helping to create healthier communities and improve care across the country," Prof. Fox said.
Collaborators on 'The IMPACT (Identifying Mental and Physical Alcohol access-related Consequences in Teens) Study: Reducing harm for Australia's young people' include Deakin University, Curtin University, La Trobe University, University of Sydney, Menzies School of Health Research, University of Tasmania and University of Melbourne.
